Ultimate Bookshelf 2.0 - Batman & Ra's Al Ghul

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We revisit some of the best Batman stories featuring the Demon's Head. Catch up on classics in time for DC's event!

By Dan Phillips

With "The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul" kicking off across the main Batman titles, we at IGN Comics decided it was time to reinvigorate our dormant Ultimate Bookshelf 2.0 feature and provide readers with a list of must read stories featuring the Demon's Head.

Surprisingly, Batman's greatest foe hasn't appeared in many major storylines over the years, but his few appearances have made for some of the best Batman stories of all time. And since we cant in good conscience recommend such stinkers as Legacy or Bride of the Demon, we've limited our list from ten down to five. So here they are, in alphabetical order, the classic Ra's Al Ghul stories that'll have you primed and ready for the latest Batman event&#Array;

If you're looking for the definitive Ra's Al Ghul story, look no further than his origin story, written by none other than the father of the Demon's Head himself, Denny O'Neil. Along with artist extraordinaire Neal Adams, O'Neil created Batman's deadliest foe way back in the 1970's, but it wasn't until 1992 that he sat down to pen Ra's' riveting back story, a sweeping tale set six-hundred years ago that reveals the tragic nature of Ra's past. Beautifully painted by artist Norm Breyfogle (where is this guy, and why isn't he drawing more comics today?!), this fantastic tale recounts Ra's days as a revered physician in an undisclosed Arabic city and his search for an ailment to cure all disease. That search, of course, leads him to the Lazarus Pit, the magical rejuvenating force that would sustain him for centuries to come. After Ra's uses the pit to cure the demented son of the city's Sultan, the effects of the pit drive the man into a psychopathic rage and cause him to murder Ra's beloved wife. Heart-broken and thirsty for revenge, Ra's sets off to convince his uncle - the leader of a nomadic tribe - to amass an army to crush the Sultan's kingdom.

Watching Ra's slowly develop his unique brand of cold, calculating manipulation makes for utterly fascinating theatre, and it's a testament to Denny O'Neil's brilliant script that you'll find yourself rooting for the Demon's Head. The story is told through the narration of a scroll that Batman comes across on a mission to find his hated enemy, and once the lengthy flashback tale is done, O'Neil and Breyfogle give us a ruthless (and shirtless) sword fight to the death between the Dark Knight and Ra's - the most important ingredient to any Ra's Al Ghul story. Although it's been out of print for a while, for our money, this is the greatest Ra's Al Ghul story ever told, and any Batman fan would do well to hunt it down at their local store or the next convention. You're not going to find many comics that are both drawn and written better than this incredible classic.

Death and the Maidens

Written by: Greg Rucka Art by: Klaus Janson Original Date of Publication: 2003 Issue Span: Death and the Maidens #1-9

While not quite as phenomenal as his origin story, the story of Ra's Al Ghul's death is a fantastic read from start to finish. Greg Rucka's harrowing and deeply disturbing tale harkens back to World War II and Ra's time working with the Nazis. Watching Ra's abandon his daughter Nyssa in a concentration camp and then explain to her why the Nazi's mass extermination of human beings is for the good of the planet sheds a whole new light on the retched, evil side of this character, and the scene will surely turn knots in your stomach.

The story then follows Nyssa's eventual escape from Auschwitz and her quest to enlist her sister Talia's help in killing their tyrannical father, and as if this gripping plot wasn't enough, Rucka underlines the main story with a subplot about Batman finally getting a chance to speak to his mother in the afterlife. Rucka masterfully handles Bruce's doubts about whether or not his mother would approve of the path he has taken in life, and the story culminates in a scene that will profoundly change the way you look at the character of Batman. Klaus Janson, a legendary comic book artist in his own right, turns in arguably the greatest work of his career, capturing the emotion in each of these dark and disturbing scenes. If you're looking to gear up for the return of the Demon's Head, there's no better place to start than this moving account of his life and death. A fantastic read, even if it will send shivers up and down your spine.

Mike W. Barr's classic original graphic novel takes the odd family dynamic between Bruce, Talia and Ra's Al Ghul and stretches it to the limit, showing readers what it would truly be like if Batman and Ra's ever teamed up for the greater good. By now, it's no secret that this tale ends with Talia giving birth to Bruce's son without telling him, a plot thread that fans were waiting to be picked up on since the day this story first saw print twenty years ago. Luckily, Grant Morrison decided to bring Barr's classic tale back into DC canon and introduce Damien, Bruce' forgotten offspring, into the fold. That plot point however, is merely the conclusion of this story, and the main narrative is nearly as fascinating as its final byproduct.

The plot centers on Ra's quest to seek revenge on Qayin, the man responsible for murdering his wife (and Talia's mother). When a criminal conspiracy in Gotham leads Batman onto the trail of Ra's enemy, the two team up to take him down; Bruce's love for Talia quickly boils to the surface. The highlight of this story comes when Batman trains the League of Assassins in non-lethal force and then leads them into battle against Qayin's army, but the lead up to this fantastic climax leaves a bit to be desired. The same can be said of Jerry Bingham's art, which lacks the dynamic flair and emotion of many of the artists on this list. Still, if you're interested in the story of Damien's conception, then you shouldn't miss Son of the Demon.

A mini Ultimate Bookshelf in its own right, Tales of the Demon collects the best of Ra's Al Ghul's appearances throughout the seventies, when Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams were busy ushering Batman into a new, darker age. The collection begins with Talia's first appearance in Detective Comics #411 and then leads into the introduction of the Demon's Head himself in Batman #232, one of the greatest single Batman issues of all time. In this classic issue, Ra's kidnaps both Robin and Talia and enlists the aid of Batman as a way to test whether the Dark Knight is a worthy heir to his international empire (there's a two-part episode of Batman: The Animated Series that is more or less a direct adaptation of this issue, and belongs right beside these books on any Ra's fan's bookshelf). If there's such thing as a perfect comic book, this is it, as Denny O'Neil crafts a rich and exciting story that would take six issues in today's decompressed comic book world, and Neal Adams proves why he might very well be the greatest Batman artist of all time.

The second best story in this collection is Batman #240, titled "the Demon Lives Again", which was also adapted into one of the best Batman: The Animated Series episodes. It's here that O'Neil and Adams introduce what would become a staple of every great Ra's Al Ghul story - the shirtless sword fight between Batman and the Demon. Sadly, Adams' art only appears in three of the issues in this collection, but artists Don Newton and Irv Novik turn in some impressive work nonetheless. DC's decision to re-master these issues' colors is also unfortunate, as much of the nuances of the artwork are lost by these touch-ups. Regardless, no Ra's Al Ghul collection is complete without the original tales of Batman's greatest foe, so go out and grab this book while it's still in print.

Tower of Babel isn't just one of the greatest Ra's Al Ghul stories ever told, it's also one of the greatest Justice League stories. Although some might point to this story as the beginning of Batman's portrayal as a paranoid jerk (a trend that's been somewhat put to bed following Infinite Crisis), Mark Waid's gripping mystery is still a killer examination of the lengths Batman is willing to go on his quest for justice. The plot centers on Batman's contingency plans to take down each member of the Justice League falling into the wrong hands, more specifically, Talia and Ra's Al Ghul's hands.

Much of the thrill of the story comes from observing each of the methods Batman devised to take down his friends and comrades, but the emotional fallout amongst the team after the events of this story is equally as fascinating. Waid also reminds us that the Demon's Head is capable of manipulating and blinding the Dark Knight like no other, and one of the most powerful moments in this story comes when Bruce discovers that his parents' graves have been dug up by his hated nemesis. Though the art is hit or miss due to the many pencillers involved in this project, Waid's dynamite writing more than makes up for it.

So there you have it, our list of the definitive Ra's Al Ghul stories. We'd also be remiss if we didn't mention Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert's recent Son of the Demon, which - although technically not a Ra's Al Ghul story - leads directly into the upcoming "Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul." Morrison's tale is as over-the-top and bizarrely manic as you'd expect, with ninja Man-Bats, Bat-rockets, and enough crazy set pieces to make your head explode. If you haven't already read it, pick up the trade along with all the other classics we detailed on this list, because the Demon's Head is on his way, and it'd probably be best to be prepared!